Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Mike Douglas Show with guests The Starvation Army (1968)
There is a fine line between good and bad sometimes.
If You Have Viewing or Loading Trouble...
I know that some of you sometimes have trouble viewing certain pages because they may take a long time to load due to several factors. Sometimes when there are several posts in one week, it simply takes a long time to load. In other cases, non-YouTube related sharing sites (veoh.com, guba.com etc) can cause problems for one reason or another and scramble text or even cause things to freeze. Generally, I don't witness this problem because my computer thus far seems to be state of the art. However, the easiest thing to due if you aren't getting this site through an RSS feed, is to simply click on the title of the individual post you want to see on the right hand side. I will also try and change the amount of days a post stays on the main page so as to limit the amount of time it might take for this page to load on your computer.
Carson's Comedy Classics (1983)
A particularly good episode of the "Best of" syndicated Carson package, featuring segments from 1973, 1976 and who knows when else.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Joe E. Ross: Should Lesbians Be Allowed to Play 'Pro' Football (1973)
UPDATE JANUARY 2011 - Read the definitive biography of Joe E. Ross here - Joe E. Ross: King of Slobs by Kliph Nesteroff
Joe E. Ross was, by most accounts, a difficult man, not particularly polite, and extremely rough around the edges. He wasn't what you'd call "Hollywood." He probably had more relationships with prostitutes than any other sitcom star and unlike New York politicians, this wasn't something he was embarrassed about, but flaunted. He even showed up at things like The Emmys with a lady of the night on his arm. It is not known the exact number of times he was married, but it was at least eight and probably more. He wasn't known to treat his ladies well. This LP isn't about to endear him any further.
Joe E. Ross was first and foremost a nightclub performer, and it was during a stint in Miami Beach that Bilko creator Nat Hiken first decided he'd like to use him in The Phil Silvers Show and in Hiken's follow-up, Car 54, Where Are You? This rarity was pressed by Laff Records, a label that was known for its large output of profane comedy albums, primarily by unsung African-American acts. A handful of white performers like Roger & Roger, Bub Thomas and Joe appeared on the label. The copy I've uploaded here is extremely scratchy, which somehow seems appropriate. It isn't the easiest album to sit through, not just because it's scratchy, but it was a very lo-fi recording to begin with. The content doesn't help matters any either. The subtitle of the album is Dirty Memories of an Ex-Cop. The word funny is crossed out, with the word dirty scrawled over top as a gag. It is also a more accurate description of the album. That doesn't mean it isn't super interesting, and I'm glad I own it. Here are the liner notes. Any weird punctuation or capitalization is just as it appears on the back cover:
"Hey, Sweetie... your blocking is divine, but you keep hitting me in a very sensitive area. Would you mind?" "Oh, how marvy... no, you don't have to kiss it to make it better. What a darling man... OOooof; Ouch! Ughh...not so rough!" "BRUTE!" SHOULD LESBIANS BE ALLOWED TO PLAY PRO FOOTBALL? JOE E. ROSS, that dirty funny looking guy in the cop's uniform, with the hot dog stuck in his mouth, has a lot to say on the subject. "Ooh-ooh!", he says, and everybody laughs! His next famous statement was smothered in the hot dog and the laughter. "Ooh-ooh!" Who else could say it with such meaning? So much Depth and passion? As JOE E. ROSS tells it, he worked for years developing his act, refining his style, polishing his delivery... and then... one fateful night he stepped on stage, and his pants fell down... "OOH-OOH!", he cried... and a star was born! Such is fame, he says. JOE E. ROSS won acclaim as "Cookie-Mess Sergeant Ritzik" with Phil Silvers on the SERGEANT BILKO SHOW, careened into his own "CAR 54 WHERE ARE YOU?" TV series, and became famous as "OOH-OOH-TOOTY" the funniest cop in the world. Listen to him, as he stands on his bench in the bleachers, runs down the field with that pigskin, wanders absent-mindedly into the Ladies room, tickles, and tackles and scores! "Lookit that guy chargin' down the field... what a killer! BOOM! Bam...WoW! What a drive! Lookit that blocking! What the heck is that mincing, dancing figure doing?! Omigosh... is that a tackle or a rape scene? I Can't Look! Somebody call a cop!" "OOH-OOH!"
Lovable JOE E. ROSS tells all about how to score in football, stage, screen and sex on laughable LAFF RECORDS. "Lib and let lib," he says... "just as long as they buy the record!"
Now, Listen to it:
The Joe E. Ross Comedy Album
Break the Bank with celebrity panelists Jan Murray, Dick Gautier, Abe Vigoda, Lynda Carter, Robert Hegyes and so forth (1976)
A large roster of television stars, moderated by good old Tom Kennedy in a checkered suit.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
The Dick Van Dyke Show written by Carl Reiner (1961-62)
Today Carl Reiner turns 86 years old. Here are a few episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show that he wrote.An Evening at the Improv with host Phil Silvers!? (1982)
Man, this is such a weird crossover. Phil Silvers hosts an installment of the A&E stand-up comedy program, An Evening at the Improv. It also features Leo Delyon on piano! Leo did voices for the cartoon Top Cat, which was based on The Phil Silvers Show. It's weird, it is sad (Phil was very sick) and its funny... and it's over nine minutes long. Man, would it ever have been something to have been there in attendance for a Phil Silvers fan. Unfotunately, I was two years old in the mountains of British Columbia when this went down. It's over here.
The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson with guests Frank Sinatra and Don Rickles (1976)
This has been on the site once before, removed from the internet by someone or other, and now it's back. Worth another view.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
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